Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Ross.
Mike, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My career in the Internet marketing industry began in 1998 selling website marketing packages to Auto Dealers throughout the Northeast. When I met my wife in 2000, I looked to stop traveling and took over as the Internet Sales Manager for a local auto dealer group In Rochester, NY, where I’m from originally. This gave me a great perspective on how intensive and fast changing the industry was becoming as I would see new products and options coming available on a regular basis. Eventually, I ended up at Yellowbook (now Hibu) selling their online marketing packages (Websites, SEO, Pay per Click), and relocating to Texas as the District Manager for the Rockwall office.
During my time at Yellowbook, I met with 100’s of small businesses and saw a glaring need for them to have a trusted partner to help them with their online presence. The industry changes at lightning pace and business owners simply don’t have the time to learn how to do it themselves and also run their business. I felt there had to be a better way for me to give them that help. That’s when I decided to leave and start 91 Media in 2013. I felt that having more ability to affect change for my clients, would empower me to provide them with a higher level of service than what I could within corporate constraints.
My commitment is to provide my clients with the latest online marketing information regarding their business to give them a strong ROI by helping them keep pace with a fast-changing industry. By building trust and generating measurable results, I create long-lasting relationships to help them grow.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish it was always smooth, I would say time management and vendor relations are the two biggest hurdles I’ve had to overcome. The difference being, whereas in the past, if we weren’t having success with a client’s campaign, I couldn’t do much as just a Rep or Manager in the field. Now, that I’ve been able to create my own processes, I can implement the changes necessary to generate results.
If it was easy to run your own business, everyone would… the rewards make it all worthwhile.
91 Media – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
91 Media specializes in website design, SEO, local SEO, mobile apps, SMS marketing, and online videos.
Getting found on Google is our specialty. Google has a 90% market share on search, and the best place to hide a dead body is the second page of Google because nobody looks there. If you aren’t on page 1, you’re basically invisible. In addition, over 80% of all people have smartphones, and more searches are done on mobile devices than on computers, so it’s imperative that your website is both mobile and search engine friendly.
The proudest moments in my business are when clients call me to tell me about the results they’re getting, or compliments their customers give them on their website or app. Hearing their success stories is what drives me to give them 150% every day.
What sets me apart from my competition is my personalized approach in developing a marketing strategy. Also, unlike most web designers who just build websites without any thought to search optimization, I can provide my clients a more complete package with measurable results. It’s that commitment to my clients that helped me win the 2017 Rowlett Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I won the Russ Michels mojo pen…
While I was at Yellowbook, Russ was the VP of our region and put pens up for sales contests. We were in the final push to close out one of our markets, and my objective for the full 33-week campaign was $7,500/mo. Our Regional Manager challenged each of us to sell $4,500/mo in the last 3 weeks to win the pen. Like every other rep in the office, I thought there was no way to do more than half an objective in 1/10th of the time…
When I walked into my District Managers office, he asked me what we needed to do to get me that pen. I was #1 in the office in sales at the time, and I told him I thought there was no way anyone would hit that number. He told me he was disappointed in me and walked out of his office, leaving me alone… being #1 in sales all year and being used to our conversations always being pumped up, I was crushed to hear him say that.
For the next 3 weeks, I watched this video every morning before I left the house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sUKoKQlEC4
Long story short, I ended up at $4,900/mo in sales to win the pen. That pen means more to me than any other award because I wasn’t competing against anyone else. I was competing with myself and proved to myself that I could overcome any hurdle put in front of me. Life is about challenges and obstacles, and how you react to them defines you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.91-media.com
- Phone: 214-662-6848
- Email: info@91-media.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/91mediatx/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/91mediatx/
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